Tuesday, 14 July 2015

Welcome Women's Fiction author, Laura McNeill...

Center of Gravity

by Laura McNeill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Her
whole life, Ava Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to
her mother’s expectations. So when Mitchell Carson sweeps into her life with
his adorable son, the ready-made family seems like a dream come true.

In
the blink of an eye, she’s married, has a new baby, and life is grand.

Or
is it?

When
her picture-perfect marriage begins unraveling at the seams, Ava convinces
herself she can fix it. It's temporary. It’s the stress. It’s Mitchell’s tragic
history of loss.

If
only Ava could believe her own excuses.

Mitchell
is no longer the charming, thoughtful man she married. He grows more
controlling by the day, revealing a violent jealous streak. His behavior is
recklessly erratic, and the unanswered questions about his past now hint at
something far more sinister than Ava can stomach. Before she can fit the pieces
together, Mitchell files for divorce and demands full custody of their boys.

Fueled
by fierce love for her children and aided by Graham Thomas, a new attorney in
town —Ava takes matters into her own hands, digging deep into the past. But
will finding the truth be enough to beat Mitchell at his own game?

Center
of Gravity weaves a chilling tale, revealing the unfailing and dangerous truth
that things—and people—are not always what they seem.

EXCERPT

Every day, somebody, somewhere,
needs a hero.

Think about it. The mom lifting a
two-ton truck to save her son after a car crash. The dad who can't swim—who
jumps in the water anyway—to pull out his drowning daughter. The guy who kicks
down a door of a burning house because his friend’s kid is trapped inside.

All of a sudden, getting hurt
doesn’t matter. There’s no thinking twice. Just a gut pumping,
jump-off-the-cliff, no turning back.

For these regular people thrown
into crazy life or death situations, there's one big hero moment. Then, they go
back to work, their jobs, or school.

And it's someone else's turn.

I’m only in the third grade, but I’ve
been waiting for my chance to be a hero my whole life.

An ear-piercing shriek yanks me
back to the school playground.

“Emma Dunlop’s stuck up in the
oak tree.” My best friend Mo runs up, breathless. He bends over, chest heaving
in the humidity, and puts both hands on his knees. “She’s freaking out.”

Shielding my eyes, I grit my
teeth. The tree’s as big as a monster, with twisted brown branches that extend
like arms, thick emerald leaves at the fingertips. Spanish moss hangs from the
lowest limbs, the ends curling like a snake’s tail.

Though I can’t see her through
the tangle of limbs, I picture Emma hanging on tight to the rough bark.
Shaking. Really scared. Trying not to look down at the brick-red clay.

I run a hand through my hair.

She’s in trouble. And I know why.

Legend says a man’s head—a
genie—is hidden in the leaves and branches. Weird, rough pieces of wood make up
his face. He has knots for eyes. A bump for his chin. It’s for real. I’ve seen
it.

All the kids know the story. If
you touch the genie’s nose, your wish will come true. Of course, my dad doesn’t
believe in stuff like that and says I shouldn’t either. He’s a Ph.D. And does
an important job at the college. So I guess he knows what he’s talking about.

But that’s not going to save Emma now. I start to jog, then
full-out sprint. At the base of the tree, I push through a crowd of my
classmates. Third and fourth graders, gaping, heads tilted, mouths open like
baby birds. When I reach the trunk, I squint up and find Emma’s brand-new
saddle shoes dangling high above me. I see pale, thin legs, and the crisp edges
of her plaid jumper. And despite everyone talking and whispering, I hear Emma
crying. It’s a whimpering wail, like a hurt animal.

“Y’all go on back inside now. Go
back to class,” my teacher says, pushing the group back an inch or two. I end
up jostled next to the school librarian, who’s holding her hands like she's
praying.

Our eyes meet. Mine flicker away.

“Don’t even think about it,
Jack,” she warns.

But I kick off my shoes anyway
and grab hold of the trunk. Deep down in my belly, I make myself act like I'm
not scared. I don’t like heights or even hanging upside down from monkey bars.
But Emma needs me.

AUTHOR Bio and
Links:

After six years behind the anchor desk at two CBS affiliates, Laura
moved to the Alabama Gulf Coast to raise her family. Her accolades in
broadcasting include awards from the Associated Press, including Best News
Anchor and Best Specialized Reporter.

Laura works at Spring Hill College as the school’s web content and
social media manager and​ is active in her community—participating in
fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, and
Providence Hospital’s Festival of Flowers.

Laura was recently awarded a 2-book deal with Thomas Nelson Publishing,
a division of HarperCollins. Her novel, Center of Gravity, set in Mobile,
Ala., will be published in July of 2015. Laura is represented by Elizabeth
Winick Rubenstein, president of McIntosh and Otis literary agency in New York.​
Her writing awards include those from William Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing
Competition, Writer’s Digest, RWA, and the Eric Hoffer competition.

She holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University
and a bachelor’s degree in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She
is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in interactive technology from
the University of Alabama. She is a native of Upstate New York and currently
resides near the Alabama Gulf Coast with her two children.